Every culture has evolved its own language and every civilisation has used script to inscribe ideas and thoughts on material that was relatively durable and portable. The manuscript or pothi is a good example of this. It is a hand-written, unbound document to record religious scriptures and various secular subjects for reading. The loose folios are tied with a thread, strung through pre-bored holes and covered with wooden patlis or boards. The two basic components of the manuscript are text and illustration. This was the earliest concept of the book in India.